Master the Mechanics of Prose
Gegamo Scribe is designed not just to catch errors, but to teach authors why rules exist so your storytelling voice grows sharper with every manuscript.
Live Academy Rule Tester
Third-person singular pronouns ('he', 'she', 'it') take the singular verb form 'does not' ('doesn't'), not 'don't'.
'Their' is possessive (belonging to them). When indicating existence, location, or an introductory subject with a form of 'to be', use 'there'.
'A lot' is always two distinct words when referring to a large quantity. 'Alot' is not an accepted English word.
'In order to' can almost always be trimmed to just 'to' without altering the sentence's meaning, keeping your prose crisp.
Because 'could've' sounds phonetically like 'could of', writers sometimes transcribe it as 'of'. The modal verb must be paired with 'have'.
Their vs. There vs. They're
'Their' indicates possession ('their house'). 'There' indicates location or existence ('over there', 'there is a story'). 'They're' is the contraction of 'they are'.
Its vs. It's
'Its' without an apostrophe is possessive (like 'his' or 'hers'). 'It's' with an apostrophe is strictly the contraction for 'it is' or 'it has'.
Could have vs. Could of
Because 'could've' sounds like 'could of', writers sometimes write 'of'. The modal verb must always be followed by 'have' ('could have', 'would have', 'should have').
Subject-Verb Agreement in Dialogue & 3rd Person
Third-person singular subjects ('he', 'she', 'it') take singular verbs ('he doesn't', 'she has'), not 'don't' or 'have'.
Pruning Wordy Fillers ('in order to')
'In order to' can almost always be trimmed to just 'to'. Trimming bureaucratic filler tightens narrative pacing and gives momentum to the prose.
Absolute Adjectives ('very unique')
'Unique' means one of a kind. Something cannot be 'very unique' or 'slightly unique' — it either exists as a singular phenomenon or it does not.